Black is the Color
by pandorabox82
Summary: Will has left, and JJ turns to the one man in her life that understands - David Rossi. Written for the CCOAC challenge #14 All the Colors of the Rainbow.


The dark black ink was a vibrant contrast to the stark pale color of the wall, outlining the words in thick lettering as her fingers lightly traced the edges. Bitter tears stung her eyes as she took in the vile message Will had left her. Thankfully, Henry was with Penelope for the night, so she didn't have to worry about Will taking him anywhere.

Sinking to the floor, she pulled out her cellphone, calling the one person she knew would listen to her without reproach. "JJ, do you know what time it is?"

"Too damn late to change anything."

"What, _cara_?"

"Nothing." She sighed. "Could you come over for some late night redecorating?"

"I'll be right over." He had heard the desperation in her voice and she slumped her shoulders, letting the tears come. It seemed like no time at all had passed before he was knocking on her door. "JJ, let me in! What's wrong?"

She got to her feet and shuffled to the door. "Thanks for coming," JJ said lowly as she opened the door, letting him in. She knew the exact moment he saw the message on her wall. "I think Will's gone. I haven't gone upstairs to see if his things are missing."

"All right, so do you want to repaint the wall or the whole room?"

"Can we just paint over the words?" JJ honestly just wanted the words gone, wanted Will gone. If that was how he thought of her, well, she obviously didn't know him at all any longer.

"It's not quite that simple. The patch of fresh paint would stick out like a sore thumb, constantly reminding you of what's under there. Why did you call me, though? Derek knows more about this sort of thing."

"He doesn't listen to me like you do." JJ looked up at him and saw a sad smile cross his lips. "Do you think there's a Home Depot still open at this time of night?"

"There's an all-night one near my house. How about we go and pick out a new color for this room and bring all the supplies back there? That way you can get a good night's rest and we can begin fresh in the morning. This is more of a weekend project, anyway."

JJ nodded and stepped into his open arm. As he pulled her close to his side, she realized that she felt safe in his embrace. Ever since he'd brought her back to the team, she'd gravitated to the older man. Though, despite what Will might believe, there was nothing going on between them. "Not yet, at least."

"Excuse me?" he asked as he opened his passenger door for her.

"Just thinking out loud, Dave." She closed the door and buckled her belt, waiting for him. He drove silently to the store, and she was grateful for the silence. As he parked, she looked over at him. "What do you think of aubergine?"

"The vegetable?"

"No, the color. I'm done with pastels. I need a change and a strong color will do that for me." They went inside and she grabbed a cart, throwing her purse inside it. "So, I know we need a primer and the color itself. What else is there?"

"Rollers, brushes, tape, drop cloths, masks…"

"Okay, so I'll have the color mixed up while you get all that. Do you think ten gallons will be enough?"

Rossi laughed and then tried to cover it with a cough. "Get seven, and you'll still have more than enough. I'll meet you by the mixing station in fifteen."

She nodded absently and let him wheel the cart away as she looked over the color sticks. Finally, she found the perfect shade and went up to the counter and rang the bell. A tired looking woman came up moments later, looking at her expectantly. "I need ten gallons of Kimono Violet, please."

"Interior or exterior?"

"Interior."

"Okay." The woman quickly mixed up her paint and was just finishing as Dave came up to her side, the cart full of supplies.

"So, you went with ten gallons. Well, we'll figure out something to do with the excess. I picked up new locks for the doors, too. If you're serious about not having him be a part of your lives any longer, he shouldn't have access to the house."

"Thanks, Dave." JJ watched him put the buckets in the cart and she smiled. They walked up to the one open register and before she could get her billfold out of her purse, he'd paid for everything. "You didn't have to do that," she protested as they walked back out to his car.

"I know, but I wanted to." JJ burst into tears and he wrapped his arms around her. She breathed in the heady scent of his cologne, reveling in the tender way he rubbed her back. "_Cara_, a simple act of kindness shouldn't make you cry like this. What has Will been doing to you?"

"Nothing physical," she said as she reluctantly let go of him. As she helped put the things in his trunk, she took a deep breath. "There have been problems in my relationship for longer than I care to admit. Will would rather I have stayed where I was, so I could look after him. I didn't want that life, I wanted my family back. He didn't get that, he never got that."

JJ slid into the car and waited for him, yawning. She was more tired than she realized and she snuggled up in the plush seat of the vehicle. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep. "JJ, _cara_, we're here. I can't have you sleeping in the car all night." Blinking, she looked up into his eyes and smiled.

"Ever the gallant protector, Dave." She took his hand, deliberately falling against him as she tripped her way out of the car.

"Careful, Jen, I wouldn't want you to fall."

_Oh, but I already have_, she thought as she steadied herself. "No, falling would be bad right about now."

"The guest bedroom is at the top of the stairs and to the right. I'll see you in the morning."

JJ nodded and went in the house, quickly finding her way around. Instead of turning to the right, though, she went left and entered his room. Thumbing through his closet, she found a dark blue button down shirt and took it off the hanger. She quickly stripped and put on the shirt before bending to pick up her clothes. JJ heard his footfalls outside the room and froze.

"Are you trying to see how much control I have, _cara_?"

Turning, she stood and faced him, a bright blush staining her cheeks. "Am I that obvious?" He nodded. "Crap. No wonder he knew. I'm sorry, I'll just go across the hall. Pretend you never saw me like this."

"Where would the fun in that be?" Dave asked as he stalked towards her, closing the distance between them quickly. JJ squeaked when he reached out to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. "But if you want, I'll let you leave."

"I want to stay," JJ whispered, leaning forward to kiss him. His beard tickled her skin and she giggled a little against his lips. "I want this." Nodding, he easily picked her up and carried her over to the bed. Sighing, she gave herself over to the pleasure of his hands and lips, losing herself in the beauty of the moment.

When she woke up in the morning, he was watching her. "Good morning, Jen."

"Morning," she said through a yawn, snuggling up to his chest. "Does it make me a bad person if I don't want to leave?"

"Does it make me a bad person if I want you to stay?"

"No."

"Then no." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I've never been good at long term commitments."

"We'll take things a day at a time. I'm not selfish enough for forever, especially with the job we do."

"Ah, Jen, I think I can do that."

"Good." She kissed him once more. "I'm starving. What do you have to eat?" Getting up, she pulled his shirt back on, not bothering with the buttons.

"Let's go find out." And they did.


End file.
